


Epiphony

by gerardsassbutt



Category: Supernatural
Genre: And I also suck at tagging, Cas is a drummer, Chuck is band manager, Dean is a bassist, Destiel - Freeform, Gabriel is a singer, Garage Band AU, Highschool AU, Its destiel though don't worry, M/M, Meg is a guitarist, Sabriel - Freeform, Sam is a supporter, Sort of implied Megstiel in the beginning but not really, This is my first fic!! Yay!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-05
Updated: 2014-06-21
Packaged: 2018-02-03 13:29:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1746365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gerardsassbutt/pseuds/gerardsassbutt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his brother is kicked out of his old band, Sam makes it his personal mission to find Dean a new band to play with. Sam finds him one, and soon Dean is the bassist for the high school garage band "Salt 'n Burn". The cocky, confident singer Gabriel soon takes an interest in Sam and the drummer, Castiel, falls pretty hard for the new bassist. Music, drama and gay realization ensues</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dean is Sad and Everything Sucks

Dean Winchester was many things, but he was not a soloist. Ever since his old band (and girlfriend) replaced him with that dick Micheal, he’s been feeling more and more out of place in the world. He’d been moping around for weeks, and hadn’t even touched his bass, which was rare for him. Sammy had tried to cheer him up with things like pie and beers he stole out of their father’s personal stash in the fridge, but none of it worked. Dean was itching to play again, but he refused to do so on his own. Sam had offered to play guitar with him, but Dean knew that the poor kid could barely play the thing, and he didn’t want the frustration of trying to teach him, not that he could play guitar either. He couldn’t play anything other than bass, actually. So, ever since he had left his garage band and girlfriend of two years, he had been sitting in his room, watching re-runs of Dr Sexy MD on TV and drinking away his father’s slowly dwindling supply of beer. Except for when he had to go to school, he never even left his room because Sam had been caring enough to bring him his daily meals. God knows that John would never do such a thing, and his mom wasn’t even around to do it anymore, since she’d been dead for nearly fourteen years. Dean was thankful for Sammy, he was all he really had left, since his father was working most of the day. He wished he could be less pathetic, less dependent on his younger brother, but he just couldn’t bring himself to leave the couch. He hated how he felt, but he hated even more how he was making Sam feel. No fourteen year old kid should be having to look after their sorry-assed excuse of a big brother. But there he was, feeding Dean everyday and helping him get ready for school. But slowly, after the past few days, Dean saw the smile slowly fade from his little brother’s eyes, and he knew he was the reason for it. Sam was worried about Dean, and he had every right to be. 

“Gabe, we are not holding any more stupid auditions! Do you remember what we got from them last time?” Meg scowled, “Nothing but a broken amplifier!” Gabriel sighed, “Well, we need a bassist! A band can’t function without a bassist!” Castiel shrugged. “Well, he’s not wrong..” he said. Meg made a frustrated noise. “Fine, whatever! But I’m not organising them! Fuck, I’m not even coming to them! You two idiots can find your own damn bassist!” Meg stormed away. “Meg, wait-“ Cas started, but she was already out of the room. He sat down on his stool behind his drum kit. “I’ll start putting up flyers around school, you can try and talk Meg into coming to the auditions, she seems to like you more than me” Gabe bit into a candy bar. “She’s not going to listen, she’s far too stubborn” Cas rubbed his forehead. “I’m going to get some stuff from the gas station down the road, you need to practice that new song” Gabriel handed Cas his drumsticks. “See you later”

“BASSIST NEEDED! MEET AT SCHOOL HALL AFTER SCHOOL ON THURSDAY!”  
Sam smiled and snatched the flyer off of the notice board, practically bounding over to Dean’s locker, excited to tell him that maybe this was his chance to play again. But when Sam arrived at the locker, Dean wasn’t there. He stuffed the flyer into his backpack, deciding to give his big brother the flyer after school. He smiled all the way through the last hours of the school day, finally hopeful that his brother may not be stuck in his room for the rest of his senior year.


	2. Well this is Surprisingly Non-Heterosexual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean agrees to audition, Cas realises that he may not be as heterosexual as he thinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok well I procrastinated on this alot, but here it is, the second chapter  
> Please leave feedback in the comments, or drop me a message on my tumblr, which is here: http://i-am-abaddone.tumblr.com/

Dean stared at the pavement as he was walking home, his mind empty and his thoughts wandering.  
“Dean! Dean, wait up!” Sam ran up to his brother and forcefully grabbed hold of his backpack, yanking him backwards.  
“Sammy?” Dean’s face had a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong?” Sam put his hands on his knees, panting heavily after running so fast. He swung his backpack off of his shoulder and fished the flyer out.  
“Got...you...an...audition” He muttered between breaths. Dean’s eyes widened.  
“Look, Sammy, I know you want to help, but-“ Sam silenced his brother by raising a finger, his breathing returning back to a normal pace.  
“Dean, you’ve been moping around the house for too long now. I know you’re bitter about your ex, and the old band, but you haven’t picked up your bass in weeks. I know how you love your bass, and it sucks to see you all sad like this. I know that playing in a band makes you happy, so please just check this one out? Please? For me?” Sam bit his lip and stared at his brother with pleading eyes. Dean sighed and took the flyer from his younger brother’s hand.  
“Fine,” he breathed out, “but if I don’t like it, I’m leaving” Sam’s face exploded with happiness, a while grin stretching across it.  
“You gotta practice, then,” he playfully bumped his older brother’s shoulder with his own as they both started walking in the direction of their house. Dean rolled his eyes, a smile finally starting to appear on his face. Sam thought about how much he had missed Dean’s smile, and he couldn’t help but feel even happier when he finally saw it. Things were starting to look good for Dean, which meant that things were starting to look good for the younger Winchester, too

 

Meg sighed in frustration as she tapped her fingers across desk, shooting scornful looks at Cas every few minutes.  
“I can’t believe I let you drag me into this” she spat as yet another terrible bassist left the room after being told by Gabriel to piss off. Cas looked at her apologetically. Gabriel stood up from the desk they had planted in the middle of the school hall and leaned out the door, checking to see if there were any other bass players willing to try their luck waiting outside. So far, the garage band hadn’t had much success with these auditions, since most of the candidates hardly even knew how a bass guitar worked. The trio were getting more and more frustrated by the lack of talent, and were ready to leave as soon as Gabriel gave up with the search. Cas did want to find a bassist, but he felt that they weren’t going to find one here. This school wasn’t exactly overflowing with musical talent, and Cas knew that no matter how many students they auditioned, they weren’t likely to find one who was worthy of playing in the band.  
“You here for auditions?” Cas heard Gabriel ask someone outside. There was silence and Gabe turned around and walked back into the hall, followed by who Cas thought was one of the most attractive people he had ever laid eyes on. Even Meg, who usually didn’t swoon over anyone, was staring at this piece of beauty. It was only then that Cas realised that this almost Greek God was, in fact, male. He felt a wave of awkwardness wash over him, and he could feel his cheeks turning pink. He tried to will the blush down, but he couldn’t do the same for the uneasiness in his stomach.  
Calm down, he thought. Everyone gets attracted to someone of the same sex once in a while, right? He took a deep breath in, significantly calmer. Yeah, it didn’t mean anything. He’s still straight, he just knows that guys can be attractive too. Yeah, thats gotta be it. Now that he was less anxious, he allowed himself to take a proper look at the bassist. He had a sturdy build, and his legs sort of curved outwards ever so slightly. He had dirty blonde, almost light brown short hair and probably the greenest eyes Cas had ever seen. Cas shook his head slightly, ridding himself of all the very non-heterosexual thoughts he was having about those green eyes. His face lightly splattered with freckles, and Cas just wanted to touch each one, maybe run his lips over them and- WHOA! Cas almost fell off his plastic chair in surprise of his own thoughts. His eyes widened and he started tapping out the beat of one of the band’s songs on the tabletop to calm himself down. Now he really couldn’t fight the pinkness enveloping his cheeks, so he placed them on his fists, hoping that no one would notice how nervous he was getting. For god’s sake, Cas! You don’t even know his name!, he thought to himself. Tentatively allowing himself to observe the rest of the stranger’s body, he lifted his eyes. He was wearing baggy jeans, which Cas secretly wished were slightly tighter. Once again, he shook his head, horrified by his own mind. He was wearing about three layers of clothing under a brown leather jacket, and he had a small gold amulet around his neck. Gabriel looked tiny next to him, but then again, Gabriel looked tiny next to most people. He sat down next to Cas, leaving the beautiful stranger alone in front of the table, a black bass guitar in his hand.  
“Hi, I’m Dean. Dean Winchester,” the stranger spoke. Cas almost choked on how smooth his voice was, how unbelievably sexy it sounded. He felt like hitting his head repeatedly on a rock to get rid of these thoughts, but instead he took a sip of water from the glass in front of him to ease his sudden;y very dry mouth. Dean, he thought. God, that’s a sexy name.  
Dean cleared his throught and started to play, his fingers moving swiftly over strings. Cas didn’t recognise the tune, but it sounded like liquid gold was flowing from Dean’s fingertips. Fuck, he’s good, Cas thought. Cas also realised that if he did get into the band, then he’d have to spend alot of time battling with these dirty gay thoughts. He wanted to slam his head against the table.  
He looked around at his bandmates to see if they were having a similar reaction to the music. Gabe had his mouth open, fingers splayed out across the desk in front of him, obviously enjoying the sound. Meg watched in fascination, her arms folded across her chest. She was trying not to show Dean how much she liked his playing, but Cas could tell by the way her jaw was set and how her foot was tapping on the floor that she liked it. Cas turned back to Dean, who had his eyes closed as he unleashed the killer bassline. Cas watched in fascination, his cheeks on his fists, until the song was over. As soon as Dean ended the last note, there was loud clapping coming from Gabriel which broke Cas out of his trace-like state.  
“You’re in, buddy!” Castiel’s brother cheered as he got up from his chair to pat Dean on the back. Dean’s face lit up with a smile, showing off rows of sparkly white teeth. He looked genuinely happy, and Cas almost wanted to scream at how attractive that was. He supposed that he could spend alot of time wrestling with his frighteningly non-heterosexual thoughts if he could see that smile every day.


	3. That Meg Chick's a Bitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winchester brothers meet the band

Dean almost skipped home, his bass guitar still on his back. He wasn’t sure why, but he was really happy. He never thought that he’d find someone else to play with after his old band, but he was glad he did. God, Sammy’s gonna be so proud, he thought.  
He flung open the front door, almost slamming the guitar case over his back against the narrow hallway.   
“Sammy!” he called, unable to keep the smile off of his face. He heard excited, quick footsteps bound down the staircase, eager for Dean’s news. The younger Winchester stood at the opposite end of the hallway, staring expectantly at his brother with his neck jutted out, asking the silent question. There was a mix of anticipation, excitement and anxiety on Sam’s face, and Dean contemplated whether or not to tell his brother the good news immediately or postpone it for a while, just to torment him. But as soon as Dean looked at Sam’s hopeful face, he realised how long it had been since he had seen his brother smile. Hell, it’d been a long time since _he’d_ smiled. After Sammy shrugged his shoulders expectantly, awaiting Dean’s answer, the older brother couldn’t hold it in anymore. A wide smile burst across his face, telling Sam everything he needed to know. Sam ran towards his brother, gripping him in a tight hug and almost definitely slamming his bass guitar against the wall. Dean smiled into his brother’s hair, not caring about his guitar at all, just happy that the both of them were happy.

Dean put two cups of coffee on the table and sat down.  
“So did you get a number? When’s your next practice? Have you met all of them? What’s the band name? Is there-“ Dean slammed his hand across his brother’s mouth, silencing him and almost knocking over his cup of coffee in the meantime. Dean took his hand away, keeping an eye on Sam to make sure he didn’t start asking too many questions again.  
“Yeah, I got a number,” Dean pulled a slip of paper out of his jean pocket, sliding it onto the table. Sam picked it up, studying it with awe on his face.  
“Who’s Gabe?” Sam asked, tracing his fingers over the scrawny handwriting on the card. Dean rolled his eyes.  
“Uh, I think he’s the singer. Kinda seems like an asshole, but whatever. He’s friggin’ tiny,” Dean said, careful not to swear around his little brother. He knew Sam was only two years younger than him, and that he probably already swore alot around his friends, but Dean had a habit of thinking of Sam as a little kid. He knew Sam hated it, but he never got around to seeing him as the actual hormonal, moody, rebellious teen that he was. Dean liked to think that even though Sam was a teenager, he didn’t have all the hormonal urges that everyone else had, even though he knew that was total bullshit. Somehow, seeing his little brother as an innocent, kind-hearted child helped Dean in some weird way. He knew it was stupid, which is why he never told anyone, _especially_ not Sam, about it. Sam smiled, his face lighting up.  
“Awesome! When’s the next practice?” Dean smiled slightly. “Tomorrow,” he chuckled, “I’m supposed to call Gabe to get the address of his place. I think it’s after school, so I’ll just walk.”  
Sam tilted his head, eyes transfixed on Dean still, intent on finding out all the details of this new band of his.  
“What are they all like? The members, I mean,” the brunet’s eyes were full of excited questions, and Dean almost laughed aloud at how ridiculous his brother looked, with his big wide eyes and hair splaying up in different directions around his head.   
“I actually don’t know. I only really spoke to that Gabriel dude, was too nervous to even look at the others,” he shifted, remembering how anxious he was. “I think there was a chick and another dude, that’s all I could tell. I didn’t even make eye contact with any of them.” He felt like slapping himself when he remembered that. _Dammit, Dean! What a great first impression you made!_ He thought to himself angrily.   
Sam’s mouth slowly twisted into a grin, suggesting that he’d gotten an idea. Dean looked at him quizzically, one eyebrow raised.  
“Can I come with?” Sam asked mischievously, and Dean sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking away from him. He laughed silently, shaking his head at how ridiculous his brother was sometimes. He turned to look at him again, this time his expression was teasing.  
“Why do you even want to come with? It’s just gonna be a practice,” Dean insisted. His brother drew his lips into a pout and folded his arms, closing his arms to show Dean that he wouldn’t accept no for an answer.  
“ I wanna meet the band too!” he retorted, his head bobbing as he said the words, pulling his signature bitchface. Dean sighed, knowing that Sam would come with even if he refused.  
“Fine,” Dean rolled his eyes, “you can come”

 

The next day, Sam seemed even more excited than Dean for the practice. Dean had called the number Gabriel had given him earlier and the singer had told him in a bossy tone where to go after school. Dean had jotted the directions down on a scrap piece of paper and stuffed it in his jacket before going to bed. Now, the two brothers were following the directions scrawled on it, Sam practically hopping and skipping around Dean in excitement.  
“Look,” Dean started, “if you’re gonna be like this the entire practice, you’re going home” Sam raised his hands in defeat and sunk his neck deeper into his shoulders.  
“Yeah, yeah. I’m just excited, thats all” Dean couldn’t help but smile to himself when he heard his brother say that. Sure, Sam bouncing around with joy was annoying as fuck, but it was good to see him happy again, especially since he was the reason he was happy in the first place.  
“Guess this is it,” Dean mumbled as they stopped in the driveway of a house, the address on the mailbox matching the address Gabe had scrawled on the paper. The brothers walked up to the white front door, and Sam reached up to knock twice on it. He turned to Dean eagerly, excited to meet the people that Dean was about to meet. The door swung open to reveal a girl, who looked like she was about Dean’s age. She wore a blue leather jacket that her brown curls almost reached the collar of. She was pretty, but Dean hadn’t really found any girls truly attractive since he had been dumped. He wasn’t even that bitter about his ex, and he wasn’t even quite sure why he wasn’t throwing himself at girls like he used to before. The girl in front of them looked them up and down, silently judging them. Sam scrunched his nose up, obviously uncomfortable with the attention. The girl stopped staring and opened her mouth to speak as she leant one shoulder against the doorframe.  
“Hi, I’m Meg,” she stated in a low voice, one eyebrow raised, “you must be Dean.” She looked at the older Winchester, an almost creepy slight smile on her face. Dean immediately felt uncomfortable around her, and he raised his hand in a slight wave before trying to push through her to get inside. She flung his hand aside harshly, looking at Sam.   
“You brought a friend,” she glared at the younger brother.   
“He’s my brother, “ Dean interjected. “He just wanted to-“ Dean was interrupted by a loud bang that sounded like a drum being hit coming from a room close by. Sam covered his ears and Meg sighed.  
“That’s Clarence,” she rolled her eyes, leading them inside, “he’s our drummer. He’s the one with the scrawny dark hair, blue eyes.” When Dean stared at her blankly, she added, “didn’t you get a good look at any of us?” Dean shook his head slightly. “Whatever, he’s Gabe’s little brother.” She turned back around, leading the Winchester’s out into a small garden, opening the door of the garage, loud drumbeats flowing out, making Sam hunch his shoulders over because of the noise. Dean examined the garage closely, slipping his guitar case off of his shoulder onto the floor near an amplifier. There was a couch to the side of everything, obviously for guests like Sam and maybe post-practice relaxing. A short, blond senior was laying on the couch, earphones in his ears and feet on the armrests. Dean recognised the boy as the singer, Gabriel. He shot a glance at Sam, who had also spotted him. Dean had to look at Sam again because it almost looked like he was... _staring?_ Dean shook off the thought when another loud bang pulled him back to reality as the boy behind the drum kit started another song. What did Meg say his name was again? Clarence? Dean shrugged. It was a strange name.  
Clarence was entirely focused on his drumming, his hands flying swiftly over the drums. Dean could see his legs furiously bobbing up and down to work his bass pedal and hi-hat cymbal. He was transfixed by how well Clarence was playing, that he almost didn’t notice Meg calling his name.  
“Hmm, yeah?” he turned around, slightly disorientated. The drumming stopped, and Meg frowned at Dean.   
“We need to start practice, so tell your brother to sit down,” she scowled. Sam rolled his eyes and propped himself on the couch, which Gabriel had left a few seconds before.  
“Meg! We need to introduce everyone first!” the singer had to reach up slightly to grab Dean’s shoulder as he said this. Dean shrugged.  
“I think I know all your names,” he stated. Gabriel chuckled, letting go of his shoulder.  
“Yeah, but you haven’t met us. If you’re gonna play with us, you gotta know us, buddy,” Gabriel twirled around the garage, which Dean only noticed now was covered floor to ceiling with band posters. Most of them were of Classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, and Dean smiled to himself. He liked those kind of bands, he had a feeling he was going to do well with this band.   
“Well, you know me, and you’ve met Meg,” Gabriel gestured to her and she scowled, obviously less than happy about the time they were wasting.   
“This is Cas, my little bro,” Gabe gestured to the drummer, whose eyes were wide when he looked up, obviously startled by the attention. Dean also noticed the messy dark hair Meg had mentioned before. The drummer had blue eyes that contrasted against his hair and pale skin. He looked strong, as most drummers were, and lips were plae and chapped. Dean couldn't help but find him attractive. He brushed the thought off. He often found guys attractive, but he knew it didn't mean anything. It happens to everyone, right? But wait- Cas? Hadn’t Meg said his name was-  
“Aw, Gabriel!” she whined, “I was gonna get him to call him the wrong name!” she folded her arms across her chest, frustrated. Gabriel laughed.  
“Sorry, next time,” he lifted his arms up in defeat. Dean was glad Gabriel had introduced the drummer properly and Dean didn’t call him Clarence, because that would have been embarrassing for everyone. He made a mental note to thank the singer later, and to piss Meg off later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I know I aged Sam up a bit here. I aged him up by two years (there are 4 years between Sam and Dean normally) , you'll see why later. Other than that, feel free to leave comments and feedback!


	4. Wow that Balthazar's a Dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean learns some stuff about the band, and Gabriel's heart begins beating for a certain young Winchester

Dean learned a lot of things about his new band in that two hour practice session in Gabe and Cas’ garage.  
He had learned that Meg had been the one to name the band “Salt ‘n Burn”, because she read somewhere that salt and fire got rid of ghosts, and Meg didn’t want any bad vibes in the band, which she had described as her ‘safe place,’ much to the surprise of everyone in the room. Gabe was about to comment on her sudden outburst of emotion when she gave him a glare that suggested that if he even tried to talk about it again, she’d rip his blond head from his tiny body.  
He learned that Gabriel had a massive sweet tooth and consumed about two candy bars per hour, unlike anything Dean had ever seen. The singer would throw the wrappers into a garbage can near the entrance of the garage, never missing. The can was overflowing with wrappers, but Gabe managed to land one on top of the pile of trash every time.  
Dean learned that Meg didn’t really connect well with anyone, but Gabriel said that she had a ‘soft spot’ for Cas. Cas had blushed and looked away as Meg rolled her eyes and insisted that they play the next song.  
He learned that their former bassist, Balthazar, had moved to France a couple months ago to go to some fancy foreign French college. Gabriel seemed to be angry at him for it, and Meg also seemed to be annoyed when his name came up in conversation. But, then again, Meg often seemed annoyed at things that popped up in conversations. Dean just figured that’s what her personality was like.  
Dean didn’t learn much about the drummer. He was quiet, but Dean constantly found himself looking at him. Sometimes, Dean would catch Cas’ eyes on him, but he’d quickly avert them with a shake of his head. Dean always frowned when he did this. 

 

After Gabriel had run over a few songs with Dean, all of which Dean played with ease, the five of them sat on or around the couch, relaxing. They talked about favourite bands, how much they hated school and Gabriel managed to embarrass Cas about twice throughout the entire course of the conversation. Dean was really growing to like the group, and he could tell by the look on his little brother’s face that Sammy liked them too.  
“Hey, how did practice go?” a short, brown-haired man opened the garage door. He was wearing baggy jeans and an oversized, dull-looking t-shirt. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles, and his face was covered in messy, untidy stubble. He looked like he had spent his entire day in the dark and that he was running on pure caffeine by now.  
“Chuck!” Meg snapped her head around to face the man, almost smiling.  
“Oh, dad, you gotta meet our new bassist!” Gabriel jumped off of the back of the couch where he was sitting, but, even when he was standing up, still was only about the height of Dean, who was sitting. The singer gestured to Dean, a smile on his face.  
“Oh, hi,” the man waved, “I’m Chuck Shurley, Gabe and Cas’ dad. I pretty much manage the band. You know, get gigs and stuff,” he said in a high, almost unsure voice. He didn’t sound much like Gabriel and Cas, and Dean wondered what job he had, other than being a band manager, that gave him the dark rings under his eyes. He held out a hand for Dean to shake. The bassist launched himself up from his sitting position and took Chuck’s hand, shaking it firmly.  
“I’m Dean. Dean Winchester,” he smiled.  
“Aw crap, Dean. We gotta get home, dad’s gonna be worried. It’s like, 6pm and he doesn’t even know we’re here,” Sam tugged on his brother’s leather jacket. Dean knew that his father didn’t give two shits about where he and Sam were, but the older Winchester could tell that his brother was feeling anxious, for whatever reason it was, and wanted to leave. He sighed and nodded at his brother.  
“Sorry, Sammy’s right. Gotta go,” he grabbed his backpack and sealed his guitar in its case.  
“Same time tomorrow, right?” he asked as he lifted up the garage door, Sam stepping out into the fresh afternoon air quickly.  
The four people inside nodded in unison, and Cas raised his hand in a slight wave. Dean smiled and the brothers jogged off down the driveway.

 

“Why were you so amped to leave?” Dean asked his brother, staring at the pavement as they walked.  
“Oh, you know. I’ve got homework. I need to finish it by tomorrow,” Sam said, not meeting his brother’s eyes. Dean knew that he wasn’t telling the truth, but he rolled with it anyways.  
“Nerd,” he mumbled, bumping Sam’s shoulder with his own. Sam chuckled, meeting his brother’s eyes for a moment.  
“So,” he shrugged his shoulder, “that singer’s pretty good, hey.” Dean bit his lip.  
“Yeah, yeah. Voice of an angel, that guy. Never heard anything like it,” he answered. It was true, though. He could see why the tiny blond had been chosen to be a singer, and he was impressed by his voice.  
“What about that Meg chick?” Sam continued, “she was kinda scary.” Dean laughed.  
“Yeah, I guess she was. Sort of. She totally had the hots for that drummer, though,” Dean felt what he could only describe as a pang of jealousy in his chest. He brushed it off, telling himself it was something else, something a tad more normal. Sam nodded, his eyes averting back to the pavement in front of them again. They were silent for the rest of the walk, the only sound was that of the cars around them, and the stone Dean was kicking scraping across the concrete. Eventually, the brothers reached the house. They entered silently, each splitting once they got to the top of the staircase to go to their own rooms, not a word spoken between them.

 

“So, is he the new bassist any good?” Chuck asked his sons as he handed over the pizza they had ordered. Gabriel took the box with one hand, and walked over to the couch in front of the tv, his younger brother following him.  
“Yeah, he plays well. Seems like a cool guy, his brother’s kinda cute,” Gabe took a bite of the pizza, sliding the box over to Cas, who rolled his eyes at his brother’s remark.  
“Gabe, you can’t date our bassist’s little brother,” he said, picking at a slice, “besides, he’s like two years younger than you.” Gabriel scoffed.  
“Bullshit!” he sang, mouth pull of pizza. “You’ve been after Meg for ages! Besides, two years aint that big of a difference.” Cas felt a blush rising up on his cheeks when Gabe mentioned Meg, and he flung the pizza down onto the box, looking his brother in the eye. “Hey, there’s nothing going on with me and Meg, and there’s never going to be anything, either. Because I, _unlike someone I know_ ,” he said, gesturing towards his brother, “knows that I can’t let a little crush get in the way of the band!” Gabriel rolled his eyes and chuckled.  
“You’re just mad that Meg won’t go out with you,” he scoffed. Before Cas could interject, he said, “hell, have you even _asked her out yet_?” Cas was silent. He didn’t want to tell his brother that the real reason Meg didn’t look so appetising all of sudden was because of Dean But the again, it would end this conversation, sparing Cas a lot of embarrassment. Of course, if he did tell him, he’d just be teased about his crush on the bassist, so he kept his mouth shut.  
“Oh my god, you haven’t even asked her out yet,” Gabriel’s face twisted into a devilish grin, and Cas frowned, annoyed.  
“I’m going upstairs,” he mumbled under his breath, grabbing two slices of pizza before he slid off the couch and trodded up the stairs. Gabriel looked puzzled, and turned towards his dad in a silent question. Chuck shook his head, not knowing why Cas had stormed off, either. The older brother turned back to his pizza and flicked on the tv, thoughts of the younger Winchester creeping into his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sort of beta-ing this by myself, and I could really use some help. So, if you're interested in helping me out, just let me know, I'd really appreciate it!


	5. Work Together for Fucks sake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bassist and the drummer make up the backbone of the song, so they have to work well together. They need to listen to each other, they need to play in harmony. Now if that isn't a metaphor, I don't know what is

“Hey, Sasquatch!” Sam jerked his head around, scanning the crowded school hallway. He saw a blond head push bossily through crowds of people, and then break free of the congestion to lean breathlessly against the locker next to Sam.  
“Gabriel?” Sam looked at the singer in confusion. Gabe smiled, tilting his head up slightly to face Sam.  
“I don’t get how you can be two years younger than me, yet the tallest out of everyone in the whole band,” he huffed, “it’s not fair.” Sam shrugged, laughing.  
“Everyone’s taller than you, Gabe,” The younger Winchester joked, elbowing Gabriel in the shoulder. Even though Sam had talked to the boy for a grand total of ten minutes at practice the previous day, he felt completely comfortable around him. He didn’t consider the feeling strange at all; nothing that felt this natural could possibly be strange. If anything, he was glad that he got along well with Gabriel, it would make Dean’s life easier.  
“ So, where’s your brother?” Gabriel broke his eyes away from Sam’s, staring back into the crowded hallway. Sam was confused at how his heart seemed to sink at that, but he ignored it. Of course Gabriel was looking for his brother, he needed his for practice. _Why else would he be talking to Sam?_  
“Uh,” Sam lifted a hand to scratch at the back of his neck, closing his locker with his body at the same time, “I don’t know. Probably getting yelled at by some teacher.” Sam laughed silently to himself; Dean was always getting himself into trouble. Sam’s brother didn’t seem to mind going to extra detentions on Fridays after school, or being sent to the principal’s office so often that the headmaster practically saw him every other day. It wasn’t that Dean didn’t want to do well in school, or that he didn’t like it, he just seemed to have a few too many disagreements with teachers. Also, he kind of liked the “bad boy” reputation he had gotten over the past few years in high school.  
“Why?” Sam asked quickly, “aren’t you guys all gonna meet at your place in like half an hour?” Gabriel chuckled.  
“Yeah, I just thought you guys could join us on the walk home?” Sam’s eyes widened, “you know, since you guys are part of the band and everything.” Sam opened his mouth to speak, closing it again. _Part of the band_ , he thought. Sam smiled happily, leading him and Gabriel away from his locker.  
“I’ll go find him,” he smiled, skipping off towards his brother’s locker.  
“We’ll meet you guys at the front gate in five!” Gabriel called after him. Sam waved his hand to show that he understood, dodging beneath backpacks and locker doors to get himself out of the crowded corridor.

 

“Where did they say we were meeting again?” Dean nudged Sam.  
“Front gate,” Sam answered, keeping his eyes fixed his front of him, still beaming.  
“I don’t see them,” Dean said, squinting his eyes to search the area. He spotted Meg waving them over from the shade under a tree, a slightly frustrated expression on her face. Castiel was leaning against the wall next to the tree, tapping out a beat on his blue jeans, entirely focused on a spot on the ground. Gabriel looked around to Meg, then followed her eyes to the brothers. He too started waving them over, short arms barely reaching up past Meg’s head.  
“Hey,” Dean said when he reached the group. Castiel looked up from the ground, meeting eyes with Dean for a second before focusing once more on his rhythm. Meg scoffed, which Dean now realised was her way of saying hello. Gabriel nodded his head, before leading the band away from the school and starting a conversation about how much he hated his chemistry teacher as the group walked to the Shurley household. 

 

“No, no, no!” Meg strummed down angrily on her guitar in frustration. It had only been half an hour, but everyone was growing increasingly angry with how difficult they were finding their newest song. Gabriel stood away from his microphone and put his head in his hands, exhaling deeply.  
“Okay,” he said suddenly, clapping his hands together.  
“I think I know where the problem is,” he announced, everyone in the room awaiting his answer.  
“It’s the drums,” he nodded, and Castiel raised an eyebrow.  
“Gabriel, I’ve been doing everything you -“ Castiel started, but Gabriel silenced his with a gesture.  
“Yeah, well it’s not only the drums, little brother,” Gabe sighed, “It’s you, too,” he stated, finger pointing at Dean.  
“What’s wrong? Do you want me to play something more simple? I’m not out of tune, I know that,” Dean crossed his arms across his chest defensively and Gabriel rolled his eyes.  
“No, no, _technically,_ you’re fine,” everyone in the room looked at the singer, confused. He sighed.  
“The bass and the drums make up the back round of the song, right?” Everyone’s eyes were still on him. He breathed out, frustrated.  
“You guys,” he gestured between Dean and Cas, “aren’t working together right!”  
“ We’re playing the right thing,” Cas retored.  
“Yeah, but you aren’t _working together_ ,” Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose, “you need to _listen_ to each other for this to work!” Dean and Cas exchanged glances, eyebrows raised questioningly.  
“Okay, fine,” Dean uncrossed his arms, “we’ll work on it together tonight after practice. I’m sure you don’t mind me staying an extra hour.”  
Cas inhaled sharply, hoping Dean didn’t notice his distress. He couldn’t be alone with Dean, even if it was just for a practice. But he didn’t say anything, not wanting to seem suspicious.  
Gabriel shook his head, “No, no it’s good. You guys need to work together,” he looked from Dean to Cas. “Plus,” he added, “it’ll be good _bonding_ time for you two. You know, as bandmates.”  
Cas rolled his eyes, wanting to stab himself in the eye with one of his drumsticks. Somehow, he had to find a way to expel his extremely non-heterosexual thoughts from his brain for an entire hour. He was going to be alone in a room with _Dean Winchester_ , and he couldn’t let some stupid gay panic get in the way of his band.

 

The rest of the practice rolled by, everyone got into the groove of the songs easily, playing together like they had never done anything else. Meg turned out to be a pretty good guitarist. Dean noticed this when she came up with her own impromptu guitar solo in one of the songs when Dean missed his cue. Although Dean didn’t like her less than friendly personality, he had to admit that she was one hell of a musician. Gabriel wrapped up the practice after a particularly simple song, turning to Dean and Cas as he switched off his mic.  
“Now,” he pointed fingers to both of them, looking between their faces as if they were children he was reprimanding, “you two need to _listen_ to each other and _work together_ ” Cas rolled his eyes and Dean chuckled, the bassist and the drummer locking eyes for only a second.  
“Now, Sam,” Gabriel drew his hands away quickly and jerked around to the couch where the younger Winchester was sitting. Sam looked at Gabriel with wide eyes and Gabe grinned. “You’re gonna come with me, and we’re gonna get pizza while these two idiots figure out the damn song.” He gestured to Dean and Cas and Sam smiled, nodding at the singer’s suggestion.  
“Gabriel-“ Cas breathed out, rolling his eyes before Gabe silenced him with a fearsome glare. Cas held up his hands in surrender, and chuckled to himself.  
“Bye, idiots,” Meg called as she slung her guitar case over her shoulder, strolling out of the garage into the evening air. “See you tomorrow!” she waved behind her back, not turning to look at any of them. They all muttered a farewell greeting, and then Gabe turned to Cas and Dean, Sam having gotten up off of the couch and joining the singer in the middle of the room.  
“When we practice tomorrow, I want that song ready,” he told Dean and Cas firmly. They nodded, and he and Sam left the garage, shutting the door behind them with a pounding thud. Cas turned to Dean, laughing quietly to himself.  
“I hope you don’t mind, but my brother kind of has a crush on your brother,” he chuckled. Dean’s eyes widened, he’d never expect Gabriel to be the kind that liked boys. Well, okay, maybe a little. Actually, now that he thought about it, Gabriel definitely seemed like the bisexual type. He classified the singer as bi because he had definitely seen him check out a girl at school on the way to practice that day, but that _could_ have meant nothing. Dean wasn’t too fazed with assigning a label to Gabriel; he was a good singer and he should just be left at that.  
“Hey, I don’t mind. Sammy seems to like him,” Dean shrugged, and Cas tilted his head.  
“Sam’s gay?” Cas said, and Dean shook his head.  
“Nah, just flexible,” Dean considered this for a moment, before saying, “I mean, he never actually _dated a guy_ , but I’m pretty sure that he wouldn’t hesitate to if he like the dude.” Cas shrugged, looking away from Dean for a second.  
Cas plucked up all the courage he had, and turned towards Dean again. “What about you?” He held his breath, hoping he hadn’t overstepped his boundaries. Dean shrugged.  
“I don’t know. I like girls. Hell, I _love_ girls,” he chuckled to himself, as if reliving an old memory, “but I mean... I.. I guess....” Seeing that Dean was getting uncomfortable, Cas quickly changed the topic.  
“How long have you been playing bass for?” he asked, interrupting Dean, who sighed an internal sigh of relief at not having to explain his confusing thoughts to a relatively new band mate. Cas smiled to himself, not even bothered that he hadn’t gotten an answer out of Dean. Dean launched into an explanation of how he had discovered his musical ability, and Cas watched him intently, noticing how he clenched and unclenched his jaw often when he wasn’t talking, how his eyes lit up when he talked about things he was passionate about, like music and his brother. How his physique slumped slightly and his eyes darken when he talked about his old band. After talking for a few minutes, satisfied with what he had learned about Dean, Cas took a seat behind his drum kit.  
“We should probably start practicing,” he suggested, and Dean nodded. He picked up his guitar and the two fell into a rhythm that wasn’t there when they had practiced with the rest of the band. Dean’s fingers glided over the thick strings, releasing notes in perfect time, with Cas’ drumming guiding the sound. Cas’ feet fell into the pattern of the song, and his hand flew around his kit, completely comfortable with what he was playing. He felt a wave of satisfaction when they eased over the bridge of the song, which Cas had previously thought was the hardest part. He and Dean exchanged gleeful glances as they travelled through the song effortlessly.  
After Dean strummed his last note and Cas swung his sticks over his crash cymbal for the last time, they practically jumped into each other in a tight hug. Dean laughed blissfully, and Cas didn’t even realise that the hug lasted slightly longer than that of regular band mates. While he was hugging the bassist, Cas took the opportunity to sink into the scent of Dean’s leather jacket. Cas closed his eyes for half a second, almost melting into the older Winchester.  
Dean broke the contact, and then awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, looking at the ground.  
“Sorry,” he said, “if that was...uh...weird. I just... I just sort of got carried away. Sorry,” Cas tilted his head, confused as to why Dean’s ears were slowly turning pink. Why would he be embarrassed of a hug? It’s not as if he, _unlike Cas_ , had a massive gay crush on his band mate. Cas shrugged, and said, “It’s fine.” Dean looked him in the eye and smiled bashfully.  
“So,” he said after a moment of silence in which the two had looked into each other’s eye’s for a second too long for it to be a friendly gesture, “I think that’s a wrap, then.”  
Cas smiled and said, “Yes. Yes it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops looks like this fic is turning out to be more Sabriel-y than I intended it to be.  
> Ok so I've sort of changed the tags around and I realized how horrible my summary was so I changed it. Anyways, thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> Okok So this is my first fic! It's a bit choppy and boring for now (and this chapter's suuper short), but I promise it'll get better soon. I'll try to update often, but bear in mind that exams are coming up soon, so I might be a fit slow for these first few weeks. But yeah, you should tell me what you think!


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